7 I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the Lord has done for us—yes, the many good things he has done for Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses.8 He said, “Surely they are my people, children who will be true to me”; and so he became their Savior.9 In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them.[a]In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. -Isaiah 63:7-9
Good morning. In recent years I’ve made a more concerted effort to meditate on the kindnesses of the Lord both in my quiet time and in my prayers. Like me, I’m sure all of us find that the more time we set our thoughts on such things, the more of His kindnesses the Lord reveals to us.
Whether they are grand kindnesses such providing a loving family and steadfast friendships or tiny kindnesses like giving quiet trails to walk and beautiful sunsets to behold. Yet for all of our thinking on the kindnesses of the Lord, Isaiah 63 convicts us by asking, “how often do we tell about them?” And the honest answer is not as often as we should. Perhaps it’s because we mistakenly assume that our individual collection of His kindnesses are sufficient, and therefore you have no need for my stories, nor do I possess a need for your stories.
Isaiah 63 corrects such thinking for not only are the Lord’s kindnesses big and small, they are many. Now I think all of us would agree that when it comes sustaining faith and hope in a broken world, one can’t hear enough of the kindnesses of the Lord in each other’s lives. Isaiah 63 also declares that the Lord’s greatest kindness was to make us His people. Compelled by His compassion, the Lord claimed us as His own with an unwavering confidence in our capacity for obedience and faithfulness. Now if the Lord of the universe believes in us, then just maybe we can believe can in ourselves.
And yet we know that are times when our own effort isn’t enough, moments when our own strength fails us. However, Isaiah 63 attests to the truth the kindnesses of the Lord remain. For the Lord is not unmoved by our heartache and kindly agrees to suffer with us, while also offering the promise of redemption made possible by His love and mercy.
So when heartache and suffering knocks us down and we feel like we can’t get up, Isaiah 63 assures us that kindness of the Lord will be there to pick us up. But neither does the kindness of the Lord stop there. For when grief and sorrow consume our strength and we feel like we can’t take another step, Isaiah 63 pledges it will be the kindness of the Lord that will carry us.
So this week I encourage all of us to not just think on the kindnesses of the Lord, but to tell of them to believer and non-believer alike. For the believer needs to be reminded, and the non-believer must know that we just don’t worship the God who lifts, we worship the God who carries.
CJE